The 6th Annual Tomato Fest is Saturday in Portland

Tomatoes from the Bridgetown Bites garden.
My own personal tomato haul earlier this summer.

Though we’ve had some rain recently, it’s still summer—and still peak tomato season. So Saturday, September 12 is an apt time to celebrate that queen of summer, the tomato. The 6th annual Tomato Fest is four hours of tomatoey goodness on a blocked off street in Southeast Portland—and buckwheat will be joining the chat this year. More details below.

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Small Bites: Burger Syndicate, Eclairs, Bar Casa Vale, and More


The Bandit from Burger Syndicate: Double Cajun-seared patties, bacon, cheese, fried onions, slaw, pickles, BBQ and garlic sauce.
The Bandit from Burger Syndicate: Double Cajun-seared patties, bacon, cheese, fried onions, slaw, pickles, BBQ and garlic sauce. Photo credit: Burger Syndicate.

Burger Syndicate has opened. This is a new spot downtown from the Nacheaux folks. They opened on Thursday, April 9. They wrote on social media, “Burger Syndicate is everything we’ve learned, every sacrifice, every lesson poured into one space. Creative smashburgers, hot dogs, chicken sandwiches, loaded fries, weekly specials, house-made lemonades, merch, and the same fun and flavor Nacheaux is known for.”

They have some late night hours: midnight on Sunday (after opening at 6pm that day); 1am Thursday to Saturday; and 1:30am on Monday nights. Closed Tuesday and Wednesday. 221 SW Ankeny Street, Portland

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The Fifth Annual Tomato Fest Is Saturday in Portland

A bowl of Early Girl tomatoes.
Early Girls I grew in 2020.

The Fifth Annual Tomato Fest is almost here!

Tomato Fest, which has been produced by the folks at Wellspent Market since 2021, is now in its fifth year—and in a different location than the inaugural fest. As we humans love our anniversaries and birthdays that end in a “5” or a “0,” I’m happy to tell you about this year’s celebration and appreciation of my favorite nightshade.

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Small Bites: Off The Griddle, Wellspent Market, Pamana, and More

kick-fremont-fest-2021-portland-oregon
Scenes from a past Fremont Fest. This year it’s happening August 2, 2025.

Off The Griddle on Alberta has soft opened. A new vegan spot in the old Chilango space called Off The Griddle has opened their second location. They offer vegan brunch and lunch dishes, and a full bar (would love to see more NA cocktail action on it). Here’s the menu. They’re open 9am to 3pm, 7-days a week. And their grand opening down the line is going to be a big party. 2215 NE Alberta Street, Portland

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Four Things I Learned This Week (December 6)

Monty’s Red Sauce. A new restaurant from the Montelupo folks is going to open in Sellwood-Westmoreland called Monty’s Red Sauce. Presumably it will be an Italian red sauce joint. The location was previously home to Rue Cler Marketplace, and before that it was Laurelwood’s SE pub location. You can see a reel of the space as it is now, on Instagram. 6716 SE Milwaukie Avenue, Portland

East Glisan Pizza Lounge’s eggnog has arrived. Each year the folks at East Glisan Pizza Lounge offer house-made eggnog for the holidays. They will serve it as a flight, in a cocktail, or with cookies; you can also buy some to take home. There are three flavors: traditional, butterscotch, and Morganthaler (tequila and sherry). 8001 NE Glisan Street, Portland

Crush is closing. The closure of this LGBTQ+ bar in SE Portland was big news this week. They’ve been around for 25 years; New Year’s Eve will be their final night in business. Read more about it at Willamette Week. 1400 SE Morrison Street, Portland

Bialy Bird returns to Wellspent Market. Head to this wonderful little independent market tomorrow morning (Saturday, December 7) from 10am to 1pm to enjoy Bialy Bird’s celebrated sweet and savory bialys. Flavors include chanterelle and black garlic; cacio e pepe; apricot-honey-feta; and za’atar + olive oil. There will be breakfast sandwiches and mimosas, too. 3402 SE Division Street, Portland


Stories you may have missed this week on Bridgetown Bites:

Side Eye, a New Bar, Will Open in NW Portland
Top 5 Posts on Bridgetown Bites, November 2024
A New Restaurant From Chookiat Saenguraiporn Is Coming To the Pearl
Better Days Cafe Is Open
Plus, my latest Benable list is all about the best in Portland products.

It’s a big weekend for holiday season festivals, too! The Mt. Angel–Silverton Hazelnut Festival from Friday to Sunday; the German Christmas Market tomorrow; and the Portland ScanFair on Saturday and Sunday. More details in our Portland Area Cultural + Food Festivals & Events list. And while it’s not a festival per se, if you stop in at Fressen Artisan Bakery (7075 NE Glisan Street) tomorrow morning, you’ll probably run into Krampus.